To Meet Again
by iamsheena
Summary: Because of the trouble she caused, Ingrid had to move away from the friends and people she loved. Now, because of repeated mistakes, she is going back. Will her old friends still accept her even with all her flaws, or snub her? Under major construction.
1. The Beginning

**This is the revamped version of the story - first chapter at least. I think it's written a tad better. It was written fairly quickly. Thanks to those who read and who have given be the little push to actually do something. So review if you like and criticize if need be. You're awesome.**

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**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

It was a month before summer holidays, nice and hot. The school halls were buzzing with excitement for the upcoming end of year dance; the different committees were rushing everywhere in order to get things ready in time. Ingrid was sitting at the side of her school while the sun beat down on her, waiting for math to begin where she would be taking her exam.

Ingrid, who had gone from bad to good, to bad again, was going over her plans that would commence after her exam that afternoon. Her sister, Ariella's birthday was that day and she wanted an old school-style mp3 player from the Electronic Boutique. Ingrid was set on getting this for Ariella as a gift. This was a pricey piece of material and Ingrid was unemployed. The only option left, of course, was to steal. She had stolen many times prior to this. One such time was the reason she had ended up in the town where she was away from the friends she had made in Middle School. She had really wanted ... something. Ingrid could no longer recall what exactly that something was because she had never been able to obtain. Just when she thought she would get away with it, she ran into a police officer - literally. She had been looking over her shoulder after she got out of the store and began running. Ingrid toppled right over and it can be figured out from there. Her father decided that it would be best if they moved away and that's exactly what happened.

Her former safety patrol partner and best friend, Cornelius Fillmore, was dissapointed in Ingrid. He thought she had changed and had been right up until then. He never said goodbye to her and regretted it for a long time.

Ingrid's thoughts came to a halt as the bell rang. She stood and made her way to her math exam. Throughout her entire life Ingrid had been blessed with a photographic memory. It gave her a lot of time to do whatever she wanted, not having to study for exams or tests; and because of her memory, she had never once worried about an exam so she didn't quite understand why the other girls and a few of the guys were all so nervous. This exam took most of the other students three hours, but took her half the time. She barely had to think; her exam mainly consisted of simply writing.

She finished the exam and made her way to her locker. Ingrid took her empty school bag and made her way to Electronics Boutique. Once there, she played up the innocent shopper charade - a friendly smile and a lost-girl look. After a couple of moments, she bought a two-pack of cheap AAA batteries. Continuing to look around, she asked the cashier for help regarding the MP3 player she was eyeing. She held one in her hand as they spoke about its features. Ingrid thought it would be more difficult but she asked for more information and the cashier made his way to the back of the store to get some sort of pamphlet. In the short time, Ingrid shoved the MP3 player into her battery bag and grabbed another one to avoid suspicion. He returned with a small pamphlet. "Thank you," she said as she took it. "I'll look it over and come back later." He smiled and wished her a good day. She walked out the doors and the alarms began sounding. Without looking, she began to run to the left, which ended up being the wrong choice - as if those made thus far were good - as she ran straight into a man who was about to enter the store. He caught her and brought her back into the store where he, Ingrid and the shopkeeper waited for the police to arrive. Ingrid hadn't been in the presence of a police officer for quite some time - it wasn't a pleasant experience in such circumstances.

Ingrid was taken to the police station where paper work was filled out and questions asked. Her father was called and she was then escorted back to her home with a man who was not a police officer. Ingrid and her angry father sat in the living room while the man spouted out options.

"Electronics Boutique will not press charges, which is very lucky for you, but because of certain bylaws within the town, she is required to complete 24 hours of community service. This is a very low amount; she should feel lucky."

"Well she will complete it as soon as possible," Mr. Third said sternly, eyeing Ingrid.

"That's fantastic. There is another problem though," the man continued. "Her school has heard of what happened and has come to the conclusion that they don't want a student such as Miss Third in their school. The closest school is in a town about two hours and forty-five minutes west of here. I believe that they will be able to offer Ingrid programs necessary to keep her off the streets, making trouble for society. I think it will be best."

After more conversing and the signing of papers, the decision was made. Because of the distance and Ingrid's lack of a driver's license, the Third family would make the move back west near X Middle School. Most of those people from her middle school years would most likely be attending that school. Returning to her past would be completely awkward. For the first part, she thought that her former best friend - the only person to ever be her best friend - hated her and second, the school year was almost over. What a horrible time to get caught.

They packed and left three days later. Ariella, although totally against moving again, was more against finding her own place to stay and own bills to pay. It was definitely going to be the longest two hours and forty-five minute car ride to ever exist.


	2. Old Friends

**Here's the new and improved chapter 2. I think both chapters (1 & 2) are quite a bit longer than the originals, which is good, no? And they aren't too long, which is also a lovely thing. I will probably start working on improving chapter 3 tomorrow in between cleaning and what not and it should be up quick. Then I will try to add more. Review, tell me if there's anything you like or don't like, and criticize all you like my dears.**

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Chapter 2: Old Friends

They arrived in their new town, or old town as it were. They had a new home that had been found by the man who had suggested the move. It was small and white with a broken down old porch. It had three bedrooms - very small bedrooms, one bathroom that was also very small, and a kitchen combined with the living room. The property's yard was very small as well. It was a total hick house.

By nine that night, all the furniture was moved into the new house and most of the boxes were unpacked. Ariella and Mr. Third went for a walk to check out their old town. Ingrid had a growing knot of nervousness in her stomach. The upcoming confrontation with her middle school friends was looming over her; she was dreading it. So instead of taking a walk with her sister and dad, she made her bed and went to sleep for the next morning when she'd start at her new high school.

In the morning Ingrid was awoken late by her father who then hurried her to the new school. She made her way to the office, ignoring any whispers or stares aimed towards her. Ingrid was about to enter the office but was stopped in her tracks by the sight of two of her old middle school classmates, Karen Tehama and Joseph Anza. Joseph was leaning against the locker next to Karen, talking to her and smiling. A bell then rang. Joseph and Karen kissed each other before they walked hand in hand down the hall in the opposite direction of Ingrid. It had always been obvious that Tehama and Anza would made a fantastic couple, but it was a sort of shock to see it in action.

Ingrid snapped out of her partial trance and continued to walk into the office. She talked with the secretary as little as possible and obtained the information necessary to begin school. With the help of a map, she found her locker and dropped off her bag. She then went on to find her class - room 241, Chemistry. She knocked firmly on the door causing the loud voice within to stop talking. A man, probably the teacher, opened the door; as soon as he saw Ingrid, a huge smile stretched across his face. "You must be-" he held up a paper in front of his face, looking for the name, "...Ingrid Third, correct?"

Ingrid nodded but remained quiet.

"Well come in then," he closed the door behind her and walked her in a way that a kindergarten teacher would with someone new to her seat and walked back to the front. "This is our new student, Ingrid Third, class." There were some whispers, probably from those who had known Ingrid or had heard of her in middle school. She recognized some of them but refused to make eye contact. "I hope you all treat Miss Third the way you would want to be treated. That's the golden rule, so live by it. Alright," he said, pushing a TV set into view. "We will start the video now and it will go through class. Anyone who decides to sleep and not take notes will cause the video to be turned off and a pop quiz to occur. Your choice of course." The class was silent except for the brief shuffle of papers. Ingrid remained still - notes would be a waste of paper. She'd remember it all anyway. Ingrid made sure to keep her attention focused on the screen though and made it look like her hand was doing something.

There was a fifteen minute break after Chemistry. Ingrid was unsure of what people normally did on their breaks so, because of the sunny and warm day, she went and sat in one of the courtyards on an old bench. Many students passed through the courtyard on their way to their next class. She was people-watching - there were a lot of strange people - when she saw Cornelius Fillmore walking alone down a sidewalk. Ingrid didn't realize what she was doing when she got up and started walking after him. She stopped in her tracks though when he was with Karen and Joseph. Ingrid just wanted to see him alone; she wanted to talk to him alone.

The three started walking away and Ingrid figured she should make her way to her next class before she was late. She dropped off her Chemistry text and made her way to gym. Everyone else was sitting on the gym's bleachers so Ingrid followed their example and made her way to the top of them. When she was half-way across the gym, she saw Anza and Fillmore and released a small groan. This would certainly mean a confrontation with her past.

The Phys. Ed. teacher exited his office across the gym and demanded silence before he began to call attendance. Ingrid heard both Anza and Fillmore's name in the mass of called names. When 'Third' was called, there was a short murmur; she saw Joseph and Cornelius look at each other and say something. They started to look around and immediately Ingrid found a chipped piece of paint on the wall behind her that she suddenly thought was very interesting. It must have been very obvious that she was avoiding their stares, but she didn't care, she refused to look. After what seemed like a very long time to stare at a wall, however, she looked back to Fillmore and Anza. They were still looking and Ingrid was forced to smile, albeit sheepishly. Cornelius just had a stunned look on his face but Joseph had a smile spread across his. They both stood up and began walking up the bleachers toward her. She braced herself for the dooming interaction that was surely to occur.

They sat down next to her, "hey Ingrid," Anza said happily.

"Hi Ingrid," Fillmore said, unsure.

"Hi you guys," Ingrid said with a small smile and a higher voice than usual.

"When did you- why are you here?" Fillmore asked, his voice tainted with a small bit of spite.

"We got here yesterday," she began. "We decided to move back here." Ingrid decided that details were best to leave out for the time being.

"This year is almost done. Why would you move?" Fillmore asked, obviously suspicious.

"Um, well-" Ingrid began.

"Do you mind sharing with the rest of class?" The voice of the gym teacher boomed.

"Sorry sir," Cornelius answered strongly.

"Come down and join the rest of the class now!"

The three moved closer to the bottom and listened while the teacher spoke about flag football rules. "And everyone will take part. I'm not for the half-ass excuse for a player. You will _try_ or will have a fun time in Saturday morning detention. Got it?" The teacher, who Ingrid found out was named Mr. Dawes, said to finish up his rant on flag football. "Okay, team captains are..." he looked at his list of names, "Fillmore will _own_ team yellow. And Jones will own team red."

Cornelius and a girl who Ingrid assumed was 'Jones' stepped up to the front of the class.

"Fillmore, you first," Mr. Dawes said.

"Ingrid," he shouted, causing the spotlight to fall on her, many people unaware of who she was.

Mr. Dawes looked down at his list to find 'Ingrid'. "Alright, Third! Newbie. Get down here and stand by your captain."

Ingrid didn't think that she was going to be a great fan of Mr. Dawes - he was loud and a little obnoxious, but she walked down the bleacher stairs quickly and stood behind Fillmore silently. The two teams were made, Anza also on Fillmore's team and the whole class made their way to the football field of which they would use only half.

Apparently detentions given lasted up to three hours long on Saturdays. That was definitely not something Ingrid wanted to take part in so she actually tried her best in football. Her best wasn't too great, but she wasn't among three of the students within the class to be eligible for detention. She felt a little proud of herself; it wasn't a very fulfilling kind of pride, but pride nonetheless.

After gym class it was lunch and Ingrid was invited, of course, to sit with the 'gang' consisting of those from middle school safety patrol who had managed to remain good friends: there was Joseph, Karen and Cornelius; Horatio Vallejo and Danny O'Farrell were there too. It was a major blast from the past. They caught up and reminisced but all questions and stories never inched towards the reason Ingrid left or the true reason she came back, which was something she was very happy about.

None of her friends were in either of her afternoon classes so she had to go in alone. Ingrid did recognize some faces, but she wasn't up to talking to any of them. She almost had enough for one day. It was a good day though.

Ingrid was happier than she had been in a very long time and without any help of stolen goods.


	3. Catching Up

**The new chapter 3! It's quite a bit different from the original; there's nothing that's really the least bit similar to the old one. I'll be able to add more in the following chapters this way and it won't be completely a waste. This chapter consists of a lot of dialogue and that's pretty cool. Well, read and review and enjoy!**

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Chapter 3: Catching Up

After school, Ingrid was at her locker putting certain books necessary for the completion of homework given into her book bag. She was grounded because of the incident and would probably remain in that state for a very long time. Ingrid sighed and closed her locker.

"Ingrid," a voice came from behind her. She whirled around quickly to see Fillmore standing there - a plain expression on his face. He didn't seem to be angry or happy, just neutral.

"Hey," she said, unsure of whether or not she would try a smile. She resolved the dilemma with a small smirk.

"How was your first day?" He asked, now smiling.

They began walking toward the front of the school. "It was alright ... I guess. I mean, aside from the whispers and all," she replied.

"Were there a lot?"

"Only from those who knew me ... before I moved," Ingrid said slowly, adding, "and not from any of the people whose opinion I really care about."

"Since when have you ever cared about anyone's opinion about you?"

"Since today. Since I returned to the only part of my life that really ever mattered - the part I blew," she answered, trailing off.

The two walked in silence until they were out the school doors.

"So where's everyone else?" Ingrid asked, trying to start up the conversation again.

"We all pretty much go home right away during the week. I mean, there's Joe and Karen - you don't want to be the third wheel very long with them."

"Is it really that bad?"

Cornelius laughed, "well they only just - finally - became a thing so they're crazy all over each other. It's funny. It's as if they're a fridge and one of those crazy magnets. They can try to be decent around others for awhile, but eventually... Joe actually made a point of it to make sure they didn't have any classes together this semester. Don't tell Kare though. She's not fully aware of the situation."

Ingrid laughed too, "wow. I can't believe it took them this long to finally be together."

"Yeah," Fillmore nodded. "It's a sort of relief to see them together now. I think the horrible obvious flirting was worse than their actually being together."

"Well I'm happy for them," Ingrid resolved. "What about Danny and Horatio? What do they do?"

Fillmore smiled, "well Danny is Danny. He is apart of everything now from drama club to photography to environmental groups. Plus he's in band as well. And Horatio is part of army cadets so does that every other night. When he's not doing that, he's catching up on homework. He works too much."

Ingrid nodded, absorbing everything, "and what about you? What do you do?"

"Ha. I don't do much - not nearly as much as those two ... or even Karen and Joe. I have a job at the mall as a janitor." He paused before continuing. "It's not a great job. There are a lot of things I'd rather not clean up or set eyes on ever again. And that's basically it. I'm not really apart of anything."

"Hmm," Ingrid replied. "I would have thought that you'd be part of more. You always seemed like the type..."

"I don't know. I mean, I'm pretty damn lazy, so I don't think anything would have worked out."

Fillmore laughed and so did Ingrid. They continued to walk in silence before Ingrid stopped walking.

Fillmore stopped too, "what is it?"

Ingrid smiled, "I'm going in the wrong direction. I live the other way."

"Oh," Cornelius said simply. "Well do you want to come to my house? Have dinner with me and my family?"

"No," she replied. "I mean, I would love to. You have no idea how much I would love that, but ... I'm grounded. I'm already running late."

"Grounded? You've been here for barely a day, how can you be grounded?"

"I just have a way. I'll see you later Cornelius," Ingrid said with a wave before she ran off in the opposite direction.

At home, Ingrid immediately did her homework. It took her forty-five minutes to finish the homework from Chemistry, Math, and Physics. In the homework's defence though, she had already learned these things in her previous school, which made it all the more easy.

Mr. Third was strict with the rules of a grounding: Ingrid was to stay in her room and only leave for the necessities such as dinner and bathroom use. She was disallowed any TV and music. There weren't many options left for Ingrid. So after dinner she retreated to her room to finish unpacking and getting her small room the way she wanted. She sang to herself so she wouldn't go completely mad. Ingrid loved her music and that's the only thing she ever needed. It was murder to not have music. So she sang, never actually finishing a whole song.

The last box of Ingrid's had been unpacked and everything was placed where she liked it, so she lay down on her bed and continued to sing to herself. By this time it was seven and Ingrid was seriously considering going to sleep just to pass the time. Sure, she would feel horrible in the morning from too much sleep, but eventually she would feel the bliss of the well-rested feeling. Lying on her bed, thinking, there was a knock at Ingrid's door.

"What?" Ingrid asked with a bite.

"Telephone," Mr. Third said from the other side of the door.

"Oh, I'm allowed to talk to people?" She asked sarcastically.

A loud sigh emitted from Mr. Third, "Ingrid, just take the phone."

Ingrid rolled off her bed and then stood to walk to the door. She opened it and took the phone quickly with barely a glance at her father. It may have been childish, but after a certain amount of boredom, one is entitled to any amount of childishness that they would like.

"Hello?" Ingrid said into the phone.

"Hey Ingrid," replied the other voice.

"Hi ... um, Fillmore?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "How's the grounding thing going?"

"I hate life. That's how it's going." Ingrid lied down back on her bed, "how did you get my number? I don't even know my number."

Cornelius laughed again, "I have my ways. What are you up to?"

"Oh my God. I am up to absolutely nothing. I have nothing to do and I may go insane," Ingrid exclaimed loudly.

"Well, miss photographic memory, if that is still your name, do you think you could help me with my homework?"

"Indeed, I am still called such and I would love to help you, but I'm still grounded. I know your memory isn't as great as mine, but we did just discuss this."

"Well I already talked to your dad and he said it would be okay. I have a way with words. So I'll be over there right away, okay?"

"Oh. 'Kay. I will see you soon then."

Fillmore hung up the phone without another word.


	4. Plans

**Here's chapter 4. I scrapped the Tom idea, but if you want me to bring it back, I can later on. I already know what I'm doing for chapter 5 only because it was originally supposed to be on this chapter. But it will take longer so I thought I should fork out something for you in the mean time. I feel like I'm writing better but worse at the same time, so sorry if that's the case, otherwise it may all be in my head. So you need to read, review and do all that jazz so I can learn it up. Thanks you guys!**

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Chapter 4: Plans

Ingrid and Cornelius spent time going later into the night barely doing homework, although it did get done.

They talked about everything, most of it being random and unimportant. They stayed away from the subject of why Ingrid had moved, mainly because Ingrid would change the subject to something else.

The two, running out of things to talk about, sat in a comfortable silence. Ingrid was lying on her bed and Fillmore was sitting on the floor next to her bed, his head leaning back. It was almost midnight; Ingrid's dad had gone to bed, thinking that Fillmore had already left and that Ingrid was asleep. In fact, she was almost asleep now. The silence had both she and Cornelius dozing off.

Fillmore's phone started ringing. Ingrid awoke to the sound of a groggy Fillmore "hello?" He continued talking with whoever was on the other line, "oh sh- man. Sorry. I fell asleep. I'll be home right away."

Ingrid sat up and yawned, "what time is it?"

"It's two," Cornelius replied. "Man, my mom is pissed. I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow ... or later this morning."

Ingrid stood up, "I'll walk you down."

Fillmore got his books together quickly and they both walked down the stairs quietly. Ingrid walked outside and they walked to the end of the sidewalk.

"Thanks for coming over. I almost died of boredom," Ingrid said.

"Well that would have been a tragedy. Thank _you_ for helping me with my homework," Cornelius replied. "I'll see you later Ingrid."

"Yup. Bye Fillmore."

Ingrid snuck back into her room and passed out on her bed.

The rest of the week went by quickly. Ingrid and Cornelius spent most of the time after school with each other, either at one of their houses or out about town; when Fillmore would work, Ingrid would spend some time at the mall. It's because of him that Ingrid's sentence was shortened.

On Friday afternoon after classes had ended, Ingrid walked straight to her locker to get what she needed and leave what she didn't. Cornelius was waiting there as he had started doing traditionally earlier that week.

"Hey Ingrid."

"Hey," she replied, opening her locker.

"How was your afternoon?"

"It was good ... as far as an afternoon of math and physics goes anyway. Yours?"

"It was good. Uneventful. But I was talking with Joe and we started making plans for tonight. We thought maybe just a late dinner and movie? Do you want to come? I mean, if you don't go, I'm not. I don't know if it's just Joe and Karen or if there are others."

"Oh. I'd love to go. I haven't really ever been out with anyone since I moved away," Ingrid replied, ending with a nervous laugh. "It's just- I don't have money. I could probably ask my dad. Whether he gives me anything is-"

"Ingrid," Cornelius interrupted, "I can pay for you. It's not problem."

"Well, I can pay you back as-"

"Ingrid. No. Just leave it alone. Think of it as a 'welcome back' party minus the party aspect."

Ingrid laughed. "Alright. When are we all going?"

"I have work tonight until nine. Joe's going to let me know movie times and then I will let you know what time we're leaving at, okay?"

"Okay."

They both walked to the mall, Fillmore's work clothes in his backpack. This had become a tradition of sorts for whenever he worked. They were both becoming nearly inseparable, which was how they had been, for the most part, before the Third family moved away. Ingrid loved that they were going back to what had been. It was the only time she could say that she was legitimately happy and who didn't like to be happy? Sure, Ingrid's pale skin and love for black and all things strange could give off the impression that she was some sort of goth or emo; she was just a girl who had a pale complexion, loved black and weird things, and loved to be happy. That's all.

Ingrid left Cornelius when he went into the 'Staff Only' area. She didn't go home however. Instead, she decided that she would stick around and try to find some sort of job. She was more partial to a job in the mall, if only because her best friend worked there.

The night before, Ingrid had typed up and printed an abundance of resumes. It was a pretty empty resume. She had never had a job before and the only other activities she had been involved in were little league and the safety patrol many years before, and things that employers would most likely frown upon - of course she left the latter out. She listed many 'abilities' that she may not have necessarily had and all of her interests, even the strange ones. Deciding that she may as well have an open mind about the ordeal, Ingrid went into every store to ask if they were hiring and either filled out an application or dropped off a resume. By the time she was finished, it was five-thirty; she went home to do her homework.

The phone rang at six-thirty and Mr. Third answered it. Ingrid, now that her sentence no longer existed, was in her room listening to music that many people her age would stray away from such as the classics - from Beethoven to Gershwin.

"Ingrid?" Mr. Third's voice came, muffled, from behind Ingrid's closed door.

"Yes," she said, knowing that it was Fillmore. Ingrid turned down her stereo and opened the door quickly and said "thanks" as she took the phone from her dad's outstretched hand, "hello."

"Hey Ingrid, it's me."

"Hi Fillmore. On your break?"

"Yes. Finally. The night's going _really_ slow. I just want to leave already."

"Fake sick. Find some of that vomit that you have to clean up and bottle it up. Then just pretend it's yours."

"Ew. That's disgusting Ingrid. Plus I'd probably vomit for real ... and then I'd have to clean it up. My boss would tell me to suck it up and get on with it. That plan sucks. I thought you were supposed to be the smartest kid. What happened?" Cornelius joked.

Ingrid laughed, "I don't know. I _thought_ it was a brilliant plan, but apparently I'm wrong."

"Very wrong-"

"Okay, I get it!" Ingrid exclaimed with a smile, "so what's happening tonight?" She asked changing the subject.

Fillmore laughed, "well we're ditching the whole dinner thing and just going to a movie. There's one at nine-thirty. I don't even know which one we're seeing though..."

"Okay..."

"Yeah, sorry. Um, I'm going to ask you to bear sitting with Joe and Kare for a bit. I will be there when the movie starts but I want to go home and ditch the work clothes. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Fillmore, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, that's what you think. But you've never been alone with them."

"_I_ can handle it Cornelius Fillmore. You just watch."

"Yeah, okay. We'll see Ingrid," he replied. "Ugh. I have to get back to work. This is ridiculous. They should just close the mall and then no mess would be made. Don't ever be a janitor."

"And that was super high on my list of things to do before I die. Darn."

Cornelius laughed, "okay. I'll see you at nine-thirty."

"Bye."

"Bye."

So I totally scrapped the Tom thing ... maybe I'll bring him back later if you guys want me to. Just let me know. And give me ideas for future chapters, if you have any, so I don't fade off into nothing. I was going to make this chapter longer but I decided to make it into chapter 5, that way you have something to read now and something later. It will take me a little longer to update than the first 3 chapters did, just because they were pretty much already written. But I know what I'm doing for the next chapter for the most part so I'll get it out as soon as I finish it. Read, review, and all that jazz. Thanks you guys!

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Chapter 4: Plans


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